Be alert for food allergies

It is important to read all ingredients of prepared foods and avoid any which contains an allergen. Here are the top-five allergic foods affecting infants and young children. Charlene Grosse, accredited practising dietitian and spokeswoman for the Dietitians Association of Australia, offers this handy guide for identifying allergic foods on food labels

August 05, 2015

Cow’s milk: In Australia and New Zealand about 2 per cent of babies are allergic to cow’s milk and dairy products, according to the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy. Although most children outgrow cow’s milk allergy by four, persistent cow’s milk allergy can occur. Remember, most children allergic to cow’s milk will be allergic to goat’s milk, so products made from goat’s milk are not only inadequate substitutes but usually trigger similar symptoms. It is important to read all labels of prepared foods and ASCIA advises avoiding any food which contains cow’s or goat’s milk, cheese, butter, ghee, buttermilk, cream, creme fraiche, milk powder, whey, casein, caseinate and margarines which contain milk products. Dietitian Charlene Grosse says to watch ingredients called ammonium caseinate, butter/butterfat, casein caseinhydrolysate, cultured buttermilk, curds, delactosed whey, ghee, hydrolysed casein, hydrolysed whey, imitation milk, lactalbumin, lactalbumin phosphate, lactoacidophilus, magnesium caseinate, malted milk, nougat, potassium caseinate, rennet casein, sodium caseinate, sweet whey, whey protein/solids/ powder, whitener and yoghurt.

Hen’s eggs: For children with egg allergies it is important to look out for all forms of egg such as dried eggs, egg solids, egg substitutes, egg white (albumen), egg-white solids, egg yolk and powdered egg. Egg is used as a glaze for some baked goods so be sure to check ingredient lists for these products, or with bakery or supermarket workers if they are fresh products. Other egg-containing ingredients are apovitellin, avidin, flavoproteins, globulin, imitation egg product, livetin, lysozyme, meringue mix, ovalbumin, ovglycoprotein, ovomucoid and ovomuxiod.

Peanuts: Peanut allergy is common in infants — affecting about 3 per cent — and young children but may appear for the first time in adults. Exposure is hard to avoid and in some cases even trace amounts can trigger symptoms. According to the ASCIA, about 20 per cent of cases resolve and, while severity may occasionally lessen with age, about 20 per cent of cases can become worse with time. “It is very important to ask about peanuts when eating out with children who have a peanut allergy,” Ms Grosse says, “especially if you are consuming baked goods, sauces, gravies, salads or seasoned/marinated meats.” Children with peanut allergies need to avoid any products containing peanut or peanut derivatives (e.g. peanut flour, sodium peanutate, and peanutamide), and also arachis oil, beer nuts, goober nuts, groundnuts, madelonas, mixed nuts, monkey nuts, nu-nuts, nut pieces, nutmeat, peanut, peanut butter, peanut oil (cold-pressed, expelled or extruded) and peanut sprouts. Did you know: Peanuts are legumes, like peas, lentils and chickpeas. They can also be found in diverse other plants such as wattles and the black bean tree of Queensland. The proteins in peanuts are very different to those in tree nuts which include almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios and walnuts. Therefore someone allergic to peanut is not automatically going to be allergic to tree nuts. Source: The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA).

Tree nuts: Although peanut allergy often receives greater attention, tree- nut allergy is also common in young children. These, along with peanuts and shellfish, are the most common foods causing life-threatening anaphylaxis, says the ASCIA. Remember that pesto and dips may have nuts as an ingredient. And many trendy salads have nuts or seeds added for texture. Sometimes nuts can be added to gravies and sauces too. Ms Grosse adds it is vital to consider methods of cooking and possible cross- contamination and even the likelihood of shared utensils and cookware. In fact, when it comes to food labelling, there are many traps for the unwary. “Children with a tree-nut allergy need to avoid any food containing nuts or nut products such as nut milk, nut butters, nut meal or nut oil. Nutmeg is generally fine,” she says. “As with peanut allergies, eating out can be challenging and it is important to ask food providers about nuts.” She says to avoid products with almonds, artificial nuts, Brazil nuts, carponata, cashews, gianduja (a nut mix), hazelnuts/ filberts, hickory nuts, Indian nuts, macadamia nuts, marzipan/almond paste, non-gai nuts, natural nut extract, pecans/ mashuga nuts, pine nuts, pistachios, pralines, shea nuts and walnuts.

Soy: Children with soy allergies needs to avoid soy-containing products or derivatives, Ms Grosse says. Common products include soy milk, soy sauce, tofu and soybean. The most common commercial version of the food additive lecithin (332) is made from soybeans. However when lecithin is present in a product it should have “soy” next to it. Other ingredients to look out for are bean curd, edamame, hydrolysed plant protein, hydrolysed soy protein, hydrolysed vegetable protein, miso, natto, okara, soja, soya, soyabean, tamri, tempeh, textured vegetable protein, soyflour and yuba. Worcestershire sauce can also contain soy.

Allergies which are more common in adults and the ingredients to look out for on food labels include:

Shellfish: Ms Gross says shellfish tend to be lifelong allergies and it is important to note that it is possible for an allergic reaction to be triggered by cooking odours, handling shellfish or cross-contamination during food preparation. Ingredients to look out for in products include abalone, clams, cockle, crab, crawfish, lobster, molluscs, mussels, octopus, oysters, prawns, scallops, shrimp (crevette), sea snails and squid (calamari).

Sesame: Some very popular sesame products include hummus, tahini and halvah and they are sometimes added to other products without clear labelling. Sesame is also a popular ingredient in foreign products. In these foods it can be labelled as benne, gingelly, til or teel, simsin and anjonoli. Other ingredients to look out for on labels are benniseed, gingelly seeds, sesame, sesame flour, sesame oil, sesame seed, sesarmol, sesomolina and sim sim.

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